In this guest post, Paul Bancroft of Tahoe
SAFE Alliance weaves together
bell hooks’s power and privilege theory with his own standing as a white male
in the domestic violence prevention field to explore how one can make a
difference as an insider and outsider in a movement.
bell hooks rocks
my world. I first encountered her work in grad school. Her writings on
race, gender, and class have resurfaced over the years, most notably in two
recent encounters. I purchased a copy of her book A Will to Changeand, as I opened it to
begin reading, I discovered that it had been signed by her. Definitely a bonus
when buying used books! A week later, a quote from the same book surfaced at a
retreat I attended as a participant in the Strong Field Project Leadership Development Program.
We were asked to read different quotes that were taped onto the walls and then
choose one that resonated with us and share it with our peers. Of all of
the quotes, this one from bell hooks spoke to me:
“In the
dominator model the pursuit of external power, the ability to manipulate and
control others, is what matters most. When culture is based on a dominator
model, not only will it be violent but it will frame all relationships as power
struggles”.
I chose this quote because it articulates one of the bigger
issues that I think the domestic violence (DV) field is facing. DV intersects
with a myriad of other forms of oppression. bell hooks uses the phrase “imperialist
white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy” to describe our political system.
While her description may be open to interpretation and unpacking it deserves
its own blog entry, I would argue that it also describes many of our social
systems and it is a useful reminder that there are multiple oppressive systems
at play that need to be addressed if we are really going to work towards ending
DV.
The power in being tactically inside and
strategically outside
As a field, are we reaching out, sharing victories
and challenges with, and learning from other movements like those organizing
around immigrant and LGTBQIA rights, worker’s rights, economic justice and
access to health care? Can we do a better job of working together towards
systematic changes with the vantage point of, as Paulo Freire puts it, “being
tactically inside and strategically outside”? The DV field operates
within “the system” as we are primarily funded by local, state, and federal
dollars. Similarly, we rely on the criminal justice system to hold abusers
accountable and provide various forms of support for those experiencing abuse.
Yet we are also situated outside of “the system,” since we can locate ourselves
within the broader social justice movement.
bell hooks frequently addresses privilege and power in her
writings. Her writings resonate with me because of how I interpret her work. I
believe she advocates for creating space where, for instance, men can work as
allies in the DV field, white people can work as allies in the fight for racial
justice, and heterosexual people can work as allies towards LGBTIQA rights.
This is possible as long as we are aware of and willing to take ownership of
our privilege and the power we hold.
Understanding and using power and privilege to
work as an ally
As a white, educated, middle-class male who has been involved in social justice work for many years, I have learned how to use my power and privilege in a way that is consistent with “being tactically inside and strategically outside.” I can use my white maleness to gain access to relationships, information, and resources to benefit the community members whom we serve. I feel I am in a unique position to be able to challenge other men’s sexist behavior. I have helped bridge the language gap between English and Spanish speaking community members, and I have used my inherent male privilege to gain access to and influence the decision making of law enforcement as it pertains to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
As a white, educated, middle-class male who has been involved in social justice work for many years, I have learned how to use my power and privilege in a way that is consistent with “being tactically inside and strategically outside.” I can use my white maleness to gain access to relationships, information, and resources to benefit the community members whom we serve. I feel I am in a unique position to be able to challenge other men’s sexist behavior. I have helped bridge the language gap between English and Spanish speaking community members, and I have used my inherent male privilege to gain access to and influence the decision making of law enforcement as it pertains to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
People with power and privilege can work as
allies and are not merely participants in the “White Savior Industrial
Complex.” In other words, if people constantly work on awareness and own their
power and privilege, listen, ask questions, build relationships, critique (especially
themselves), and understand the history and context in which they operate, then
they can work from a genuine place; not just come in to “save” those less
fortunate folks. In
order to own my power and privilege I need to understand why it exists in the
first place by asking, “What systems are in place that perpetuate that power and privilege? Who
benefits and who suffers as a result of these systems? My work is to use
my power and privilege to dismantle the systems that maintain it, to challenge the
status quo, and to be an ally.
One of my favorite quotes as adapted from Antonio Machado is “we
make the road by walking.” Let’s create the space to walk together where we
collectively work to make the world a better place.
Paul Bancroft is Client Services and
Prevention Director at Tahoe SAFE Alliance.
